Indulgence

Bondi Beach

Charles Darwin
It's not the strongest of the species that survive, but the one most responsive to change.

It's amazing, really, when you think about what a human being has to go through year after year. Incredible highs and incredible lows. One moment there're such unbelievable moments, magickal moments, movie moments and we can't believe that life can be so good and then there are moments that are just so bad, it can ruin you, destroy you and break you apart, tear you into little bits and you spend a great deal of time just putting yourself back together.

There are those people who just give up. They are torn asunder and they just don't have the will to try and put themselves together again. Some resolve to just drink and drink and not have to feel anything but the buzz, others just stay home and disappear from the world. The scariest form of giving up is when a person goes through the day-to-day without any joy. They tell everyone that everything is all right, that there's nothing wrong but they don't strive to do anything. They just go day in and day out doing the same thing, not dreaming of anything good, not hoping for anything great and they just basically are going through the motions. That's the scary one. That's almost like a zombie, a robot. It's mechanical. It's frightening.

I'm trying to remember if I ever found myself at a point that I became mechanical. I can't remember. I'm more of the type that really shows what is going on inside me. I have outlets, channels. I just express it and I let it out and then, when things start getting better, I shift, I adjust, I get better.

On our last day in Sydney, we found ourselves with only 1 interview left to do so I made a decision to take the bus to Bondi beach. I found the idea of a beach just 20 minutes away from the city so appealing. If I needed the moment to recuperate, to just soak the sun and swim in salt water, it would just be a bus ride away. I thought that was the most amazing thing in the world.

We took the bus from Hyde Park to Bondi. We passed East Sydney down some streets in Paddington before leaving the comforts of my city map and then up a hill to a sunny residential area with very friendly homes. We stepped off the bus and made a short walk to a bend in the road going down hill but over the hill we could already see the massive, beautiful beach that is Bondi.

I was thrilled! 8 foot waves were curling above the water. Surfers were having the time of their lives. In the middle of winter, there were Aussies walking in shorts and sleeveless shirts barefoot on the sand. People walking their dogs at the concrete and people jogging. While Glen was taking his shot, I saw some of the residents in the homes nearby just walking out of their apartments in boardshorts and slippers. They lived so close to the beach they didn't even need to bring a towel. It was dip and go.

My executive producer remarked how big my smile had become. I was energized and excited and was obviously having the time of my life. When Glen had made his shot, we rushed down to the beach where Glen began taking more shots and I took off my shoes and socks and walked in the sand. I felt the soft sand beneath my feet and took a whiff of the salt water air. I soaked in the sun. I said, if I were ever to move to Sydney, I'm moving here!
If ever I had become mechanical or zombie-like, if ever I gave up, I would never had had the chance to witness a beach like Bondi. I would never have been able to get the job to write this show and see a place like this. I would never have been able to come up with a dream that one day I'd be living in Bondi.

I can't allow myself to give up because I would just miss out on such spectacles such as this.

posted by wanggo @ 10:21 AM